Attack of the Flying Foxes and the Battle for the Sanctuary- edited

by VPVPVP

The Sanctuary de Amazon becomes threatened with takeover by a colony of winged mammals who view all birds of the rainforest as vermin. When all peaceful shots fail and the threat becomes critical, the avian inhabitants are left with no choice but to resort to extreme measures to protect their homes, even if it means using violence and waging the biggest war in history.

15. 15- confrontations and a warning

Chapter 15- explosive confrontations and a warning from a family of unlikely allies

A day later

Life continued to flow by in the Sanctuary de Amazon but it was not in its usual cheery atmosphere. That atmosphere had become somewhat dismal and grey, especially with the flying foxes continuing to roam the birds' land. Despite this, the animals continued their daily business while the bird groups continued their patrolling, foraging and other life activities. However, class outings had been reduced or even forbidden for the safety of the chicks due to all the flying foxes' intrusions still going on and those intrusions had increased in frequency, and the number of armed flying foxes seen had also increased. The tribe and clan leaders had become fearful that the flying foxes were possibly planning something and had sent more patrol groups out to keep an eye on things and possibly spy on any intruding flying fox groups to gather information. Furthermore, the leaders were considering sending Cicatriz and Iracebeth a strong warning to keep their bats within their boundary. However, the leaders were unaware that those two deranged colony leaders had other ideas and that they were putting themselves, especially the patrol groups in a more vulnerable position…

At the Spix/red border in the Brazil nut grove, a group of Spix and a group of red macaws had come here at the same time to pick some Brazil nuts. Among the Spix group were Roberto and his sons Finnick and Felix (Lavender and Brisa were back at the Spix tribe's ravine caring for Oberon and Ophelia), and their respective girlfriends Kira and Turquesa, and Justin, Carla, Charlotte and Músculo. In the red group were Alexandre, Spinel and Poinsettia, Athos and Ruby's first-brood offspring, who had come to pick some Brazil nuts as well, especially for their other halves Estelle, Sheldon and Wilbur respectively. As the two groups crossed paths, the trio and another male macaw, Tito, a member of the red tribe's Pit of Games team, shot the Spix macaws a concerned look.

"Hey, blue-feathered buddies," said Tito, "How are you and your tribe doing?"

"Oh, fine thanks," said Roberto, a slight shudder in his silvery voice, "Just more… aware of these pesky furballs flying around our territory."

"Oh, we've had plenty of those furred winged pests roaming our area too, with more and more of them bringing in weapons," said Alexandre as he perched and selected a Brazil nut, "Uncle Felipe and Auntie Pearl have banned classes of chicks from going out for their safety."

"And Mom," added Poinsettia as she and Spinel perched beside their brother, "has kept our little brothers Oliver and Cinnabar in our hollow a lot for fear of their safety as well."

"In fact, most of the parents in our tribe have forbidden their chicks from leaving their trees," said Cherie, the scoremarker of the red team and Tito's girlfriend, and a green-winged macaw.

"The same in our tribe," said Finnick as he perched with Kira, "Mom has kept Oberon and Ophelia from leaving the hollow."

"As had our parents with Luke and Linda and Aunt Aurora and Uncle Zephyr with Azurite and Aquamarine, especially after what happened with the youngest sons of D'Artagnan, Sapphire, Levi and Lapis Lazuli a few days ago," said Carla. Justin nodded in agreement.

"Tito and I did plan on having chicks as well," continued Cherie, "But with the flying fox problem going on and escalating, we decided to postpone it until this threat is over." She then clamped her beak onto the stem of a Brazil nut and snapped it to separate the nut from its parent tree. "Those bats are bad news to chicks, you know."

Roberto nodded in agreement. He remembered facing a group of those deranged flying mammals when he was a chick and had lost his entire family. Kira, Finnick, Charlotte and Músculo also shuddered at the thought of facing a massive flying mammal that was as bigger than an adult Spix macaw with a metre-and-a-half to two-metre wingspans. Then pushing aside these thoughts, the Spix and red macaw groups resumed picking some Brazil nuts, two or three of the macaws keeping watch on the surroundings. A new rule had been issued by the tribe and clan leaders that macaws keep watch on the surroundings while some of the others foraged, and that was what some of the macaws did in these two groups. However, the two groups were being watched themselves.

In a cluster of leaves in a tree not too far from the two groups of foraging macaws, several pairs of sinister eyes glared out at them. Then some of the leaves shuddered as something left the spot. The macaws continued picking Brazil nuts and packing them into specially constructed bags made from interwoven sticks and vines that were strong enough to carry such heavy fruits without dropping them and risking killing someone below them. As Roberto passed a Brazil nut to Felix and Finnick who held one of the bags open, he felt unease prick at him. Immediately he stiffened his upper body, eyes wide and crest feathers spiked out. The others continued filling their backs with more Brazil nuts or keeping an eye on the surroundings. Then a flash of drab colour blinked in Roberto's peripheral vision. He turned his head to the flash but saw nothing there. However, it sent shivers down his spine. Next, Felix and Finnick stiffened. Like their father, their crests spiked out and their eyes bulged. The spiking of crest feathers during anger, fear or surprise seemed to be an inherited trait in all three of Roberto and Brisa's first brood including Lavender, Felix and Finnick's younger sister, whose ponytail feathers always flared out when fear or anger consumed her. Oberon also had this trait but Ophelia seemed to lack it altogether.

Cherie then saw the Spix macaw and his two sons with wary looks on their faces. Concerned, she stopped and went over to them.

"Something troubling you three?" she asked. Carla, Justin, Charlotte, Músculo, Turquesa, Kira and two of the other macaws with them also shot the trio a concerned look. Roberto was about to reply when he thought he saw another flash of drab colour out of his eye. However, when he turned his head in the flash's direction, he did not see anything. Then the other Spix and red macaws came around.

"Problem, Roberto, Finnick and Felix?" asked Alexandre, his two sisters holding one of the bags.

"You look as though you've seen a monster based on my calculations of your appearance and body language," said Poinsettia, commenting on the three's appearance. Tito and the other red macaws present looked on but said nothing. Roberto, Finnick and Felix, their eyes wide and head feathers spiked out, slowly and nervously turned to the group of scarlet and green-winged macaws. Above the macaws, some shapes had gathered. These forms had fur and membranous wings but also more of the something else that some of the other intruders had brought with them. Then Roberto spoke.

"Tito, Alexandre, Cherie," he whispered, "I'd recommend you'd get your foraging group outa here and back to your tribe, especially your sisters, Alex."

"What?" asked Alexandre with a raised eyebrow. Then unease began to prick at Kira and she felt her skin crawl. Like a prey animal made aware of an approaching predator hidden in its surroundings, the niece of Blu and Jewel began to slowly step back and scan the environment, her feathers flattened. Poinsettia and Spinel then flashed a few glances around the surroundings.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Uncle Roberto," said the latter, the pink-red macaw. Roberto, however, looked unconvinced. Then Felix and Finnick's eyes travelled to a certain spot on the branch and saw some funny looking shadows casted by something from above. Then before the two could trace the shadows to their owners, what happened next made the two and everyone else jolt like an electric shock.

"MOVE IT!" barked Roberto and with that, he bolted into action and began to try and push the other macaws away to safety. The moment Roberto began to usher the other Spix macaws, the sounds of wing flaps filled the air, but the sounds did not come from feathered wings. Then Cherie, Tito, Alexandre, Spinel and Poinsettia and their other red companions looked this way and that until their eyes landed on a group of furry creatures with membranous wings descend upon them like predators. Flooded with alarm, the red macaws bolted while the Spix macaws bolted in the opposite direction. However, one of them was too slow to escape in time.

"GET THEM!" shouted one of the furred creatures as the macaws fled. Cherie, Tito, Poinsettia and Spinel and the other red macaws, their bags partially full with Brazil nuts, fled into the trees when they realised that someone was missing.

"Wait, where's Alexandre?" asked Spinel. Dread coming over them, Poinsettia, Tito and Cherie shot glances at the rest of the group and saw that Alexandre was not with them. Then Poinsettia emitted a piercing screech, stopping the whole group in its tracks. After this, the scarlet and green-winged macaws turned and when they saw their missing comrade and brother of the two sisters, horror flared within them like a flammable gas cloud igniting. The group then dived into a thick cluster of leaves and looked out.

On the Spix's side, Roberto, Carla, Justin, Charlotte, Músculo, Finnick, Felix, Turquesa and Kira had dived into a hollow while the other Spix macaws had fled to the ravine to warn Blu and Jewel. Like the red macaws, the Spix macaws were horrified at the right before them. Alexandre had not escaped in time and soon enough, he was surrounded by a group of seven flying foxes, four of which were highly muscled, as they positioned themselves around the frightened young vermillion or red-orange coloured scarlet macaw to prevent him from escaping.

"Nice try escapin', red feathered worm," said one of the bats, a large, brown muscular male whose pelage was heavily crisscrossed with numerous hideous scars, "But you've failed."

His comrades tittered evilly. Then Roberto noticed that the flying foxes had something on them. He had seen other groups of flying foxes carry a few of these things but this group seemed to have more of them, the membranous wings of almost all of the members clutching sticks. An awful thought crept over Roberto and as his eyes travelled to the ends of the sticks, he saw a flash of colour hanging from those ends. Feathers; the bats' trophies.

"Dad," said Finnick, "That group seems to have more armed bats tan the previous ones we had seen."

Roberto stared at the sticks and saw that they were sharpened at the other end, and those sharp ends were pointing right at Alexandre as he flashed frightened glances at the bats. The handsome Spix macaw shuddered violently as he realised that the older son of Athos and Ruby was now in mortal danger. More of the flying foxes in the group were indeed armed, and they had brought more weapons on them. Then another thing sent terror flaring with Roberto. As his eyes travelled to the heavily muscled male bat with brown pelage crisscrossed with scars, especially on his face, he began to have flashbacks. That bat somehow seemed familiar, but he was familiar in a frightful way. Roberto then began to shudder violently, crest feathers spiking out again as he heard familiar screams of agony and flashes of drab colours violently attacking flashes of blue, as well as blood drops and blue feathers flying everywhere, and the image of an adult blue macaw who looked similar to him with the same head feathers but lighter blue plumage with a large and bleeding gash across his forehead crawling weakly on the floor, blood trailing down his terror-filled face that was also flooded with pleading. Roberto heard the words, "Go on, son! Get outa ere NOW! Don't look back!"

"Dad, calm down," said Finnick, a wing on his dad's shoulder. Roberto tried to but couldn't quell the boiling and churning fear within him. Turquesa then tried to jump out but Carla and Justin latched a pair of wings, one wing each, onto her shoulders and prevented her from doing so.

"Don't," said Carla.

"You'll give away our position for one," said Justin, "And you'd end up hurt for another."

Turquesa shot the two macaws a 'What!?' look and then calmed down. Then the group of Spix macaws began to watch the dramatizing scene before their eyes unfold.

Alexandre, when he managed to register his position and finding himself lying on his front at the centre of seven sharp points at the end of seven sharpened sticks, then began to flicker his gaze at the owners of those sticks, the seven fox-faced bats, surrounding him. His orange-red feathers were flattened and he was trembling. However, he bravely fought the adrenaline rushing through his veins as the hulking and hideously scarred bat began to tower menacingly over him, his sharp-stick pointing dangerously at his neck and his scorn-filled eyes piercing the green-winged macaw like a pair of jaguar's eyes.

"Now, red-feathered varmint," growled the bat, "Now that you have nowhere to go, it is time for you to come with us."

The other six bats sniggered in agreement and kept their sharp-sticks pointed at Alexandre, four aimed at his back and the other two to his head. In the Spix macaws' hiding place, Kira mouthed the words 'come with us' in confusion. What did the hulking male bat mean by that? But then a horrible thought came into her head, one that made her flinch. Alexandre, despite the fear turning his whole body to shaking jelly, began to shakily but bravely rise to his feet despite his talons being too weak to take his weight and question the bats' intentions the moment he stood up.

"Whatever for!?" he rhetorically answered. "You know we have more important things to deal with than petty stuff like this."

Carla, Justin, Charlotte, Felix, Finnick, Kira, Músculo and Turquesa could not help but admire the young scarlet macaw's boldness, and Roberto was especially stunned, for the hulking brown bat was one of the murderers of his family years and years ago.

"He's as tough as a Brazil nut shell, like his father," whispered Músculo.

"I'd have panicked easily," whispered Turquesa.

The hulking and scarred male bat, who turned out to be the ringleader of the group besides one of the participants who had slaughtered Roberto's family, flashed a stunned look at Alexandre's boldness, but then impatience and anger flared up in his face like a flash of lightning. He nodded to one of the bats behind Alexandre, a young reddish female (not Iracebeth).

"Right, Voldemort," said she and then what she did next sent immense horror blasting through the watchers, especially Alexandre's foraging group and his two sisters as they watched from a distance in the red tribe's side. The female bat who was smaller and had red fur came forward and without hesitation, took her sharp-stick into her mouth, jumped up and violently raked her foot claws down Alexandre's back like a swipe of a jaguar paw. A piercing screech of agony exploded from the orange-red macaw's beak as he was knocked back down onto his front again. Kira opened her beak to scream but Finnick and Felix slammed a wing each over her beak to prevent her from doing so. In the red's side, Spinel and Poinsettia let loose silent cries of horror while the other red macaws, including Tito and Cherie only looked on, beaks agape. None of them daren't make a sound for fear that the bats might be alerted to their presence and thus give their position away. As Alexandre lay on his front, his face twisted in agony from his scratched back which oozed some blood that was just visible on his vermillion plumage, the hulking male bat, named Voldemort, leaned towards the vermillion scarlet macaw until his mouth was only a few centimetres from the macaw's forehead.

"Resistance is futile, red feathered sludge-rat," growled he threateningly, his voice sounding like that of a tree slamming into the ground and spittle flying into Alexandre's face, "You're gonna come with us no matter WHAT!"

The other six bats, including the female that had inflicted Alexandre with the scratch, then pointed their sharp-sticks' sharpened ends closer to Alexandre's face and neck while Voldemort's sharp-stick aimed for the area where the carotid artery ran through the neck, the tip of the point hovering within an inch of the skin, dangerously close. Finnick and Felix saw the proximity of Voldemort's sharp-stick and gasped in alarm. Alexandre then raised his head and glared fiercely at Voldemort, unfazed by the hideous bat's monstrous appearance and the scratch on his back screaming in pain, and the mortal danger he was in. His eyes then found the sharp-stick aiming for his carotid artery area in the neck. However, he scowled with a volcanic lour on his face.

"If you're gonna kill me, bat," he snapped, "Then just do that and be done with it. But mark my words; Uncle Felipe and the other leaders of the tribes and clans WILL take action against whatever your colony is planning to do, and if your leaders Cicatriz and his mate were here, I'd say that VERY SAME thing, TO THEIR FACES."

Alexandre practically screeched the last three words maliciously. Despite the fear making his feathers flattened, his eyes blazed brown fire, the brave streak he had inherited from his father Athos manifesting. In their hiding place, the Spix macaws continued watching the scene.

"Talk about playing with fire," whispered Roberto in shock.

"Playing with fire!?" snapped Turquesa bitterly and quietly, "It's those BATS that are playing with fire, not ALEXANDRE."

Voldemort, taken aback by the red-orange macaw's unfazed attitude and fierceness, then eyed his six companions.

"Looks like we're gonna have to use brute force to get this stubborn feather-ball to submit to us," he growled.

"Quite right, Voldemort," said one of the other bats. Then Voldemort glared bitterly at Alexandre, his fiery gaze making the red-orange scarlet macaw flinch as though it were a burning hot laser.

"If you're NOT gonna do as you're told, stubborn ball of feathers," he snarled thunderously, "We WILL use VIOLENCE!"

"Especially if you're gonna be so OBNOXIOUS and RUDE, especially in your backchat," put in the female bat that has injured the macaw. The other five also made fiery glares and hissed in agreement. To reinforce their threat, the aggressive bats aimed the tips of their sharp-sticks for Alexandre's neck and jabbed his skin firmly; not too firmly to break his skin but firmly enough to frighten him. All this was enough to finally shatter Alexandre's boldness and his face flashed from a look of courage to a look of fright in an instant and the Spix macaws could see that he was starting to tremble like a leaf.

"That was me when me and my family were attacked by a group of flying foxes before I ended up caught in a smuggler's trap," said Roberto. Then Finnick and Felix rose to their feet and prepared to take action.

"We can't allow those horrid bats force Alexandre away," hissed Finnick angrily, his blue eyes ablaze with blue flames and his head feathers spiked out. Suddenly, Alexandre's high-pitched, terror-filled voice stopped him and Felix in their tracks. It sounded splintered, as though he were speaking through a chattering beak as though he were very cold.

"L-l-l-look," he faltered, "J-j-j-just kill me, will you!?"

In response, Voldemort's enormous membranous wing which was as black as a shadow, lashed out and brutally wrapped around Alexandre's head. Then Alexandre was yanked towards the hideous bat's face.

"Not until you've answered our questions, red-feathered varmint," snapped Voldemort stormily, "Now you will bring your FEATHERED BACKSIDE ALONG or we will DRAG IT ALONG FOR YOU!"

"But I… OOOWWW!" barked Alexandre as something sharp jabbed into the scratch in his back. One of Voldemort's companions had firmly jabbed the end of his stick straight into one of Alexandre's claw marks, inflicting him with intense pain. Then Justin and Charlotte, hot rage burning through them when they saw the seven hideous bats treat one of their 'cousins' and the son of one of their 'uncles' like that, rose to their feet and prepared to jump out at the bats. Finnick, Felix, Turquesa, Músculo, Carla and Kira did the same.

"Time we took action, I think," growled Finnick fiercely.

"No one treats our cousin Alexandre like that!" growled Justin, his feathers on end.

"I'm gonna lash at that big bully and claw his face in!" hissed Kira, "Maybe a few new scars added to his collection might deter him."

"Or perhaps we'll tear their hair out or damage their membranous wings," added Felix.

"Let's do this," hissed Charlotte. The others nodded in agreement. Roberto, however, had other ideas. Before the eight young macaws could leap out at the seven bats to rescue Alexandre, Roberto darted into their path and cut them off. Carla shot him an incredulous glare.

"What are you doing, Uncle Beto!?" shrieked the Mimi lookalike.

"That's Voldemort, one of my family's murderers," retorted Roberto, his wings spread protectively across the eight macaws' paths in an effort to prevent them from jumping out at said bat and his six companions. "He is one of the most violent and savage bats in the colony…"

Kira and Carla then began to try and fight their way past Roberto but he resisted. "He is one of the bats with a reputation for savagely killing birds in the most agonising way and he's one of the most skilled fighters in the colony! He's extremely dangerous! CARLA!"

Carla, too blinded by fury to listen, then began to try and shove past Roberto in an attempt to lash at the bats and attack them. The other seven did the same and soon, an argument broke out among the little Spix group.

Back with the bats, one of Voldemort's companions began to examine the surroundings, having heard squawks.

"Do you guys hear that?" she asked. Voldemort began to rake the surroundings with his bloodthirsty eyes, his ears also picking up the sounds of squawking. Alexandre gazed at his attempted capturers with fear–filled eyes but found he could not escape for three of the bats still had him hostage with their sharp-sticks pointing at his neck. Nearby, Poinsettia, Spinel, Cherie, Tito and their companions were slowly creeping up on the bats. They hid in a cluster of leaves nearest to the group.

"Yes," Voldemort hissed, "Sounds like some of those feathered pests are nearby," he shot Alexandre a fierce look. "Let's get outa here and take this young adult male scarlet macaw with us before we are caught."

However, before the six bats could obey and jab Alexandre threateningly with their sharp-sticks to get him moving, a rustle of leaves sounded loudly, making the seven bats stiffen. Alexandre's group of scarlet and green-winged macaws also stiffened for they hadn't shaken anything. In their hollow, Roberto and the other eight macaws stopped struggling when they heard the sound. Then the seven bats began to rake the surroundings with wary eyes again. Above Voldemort's group and Alexandre, a furry brown form gazed down at them.

"Now what!?" snarled the reddish female. Voldemort continued examining the surroundings for another minute until finally; he turned his attention back to Alexandre.

"It's nothing important," he hissed, "Let's just leave with this red bird back to our territory."

Alexandre shuddered but could not protest. However, inside he felt hot rage burn within him. 'The HYPOCRISY!' he snarled in his head, 'First they intrude into our land and now they want one of US in theirs!'

Alexandre felt like exploding into a rage-fuelled frenzy at these seven bats' attempts to force him into going with them to the colony's territory. However, he could not for Voldemort was an extremely violent bat, infamous for killing so many birds, often in bloody and merciless battles, and his sharp-stick's end was decorated with dozens of feathers taken from countless kills. Furthermore, Alexandre was not a very skilled fighter compared to the hulking beast of a bat. Alexandre then assumed some of the feathers, specifically the cerulean blue feathers hanging in the colourful cloud, to be from Roberto's family members since he remembered Roberto telling him how this bat had participated in the killing of his family. Suddenly, a jab in the back snapped him out of his thoughts.

"MOVE, you disgusting feathered BALL OF FILTH!" snarled the female bat that had prodded him with her sharp-stick. Alexandre flashed her a despairing and offended look and seeing no choice, had to go along. However, another rustle of leaves sounded, stopping the group in their tracks but Voldemort ushered his group along. Then another sound filled the air. This time it was that of an animal but it was not avian. The six bats stopped dead, much to Voldemort's rapidly vanishing patience.

"Will you six come along please!?" he snarled, "We've no time to listen out for suspicious sounds."

"But Voldemort, I hear chattering," said the female red bat.

"Sounds like a pack of monkeys," said another companion, a muscular born male who was less scarred than Voldemort. Then the reddish female cocked her ears to listen. The squeaky sounds, which indeed sounded monkey-like, began to increase in loudness.

"A pack of monkeys nearby, you mean?" she said to the male. Voldemort then flashed his companions an annoyed glance but then he felt dread prick at him. Slowly turning his head in the direction of the increasing sounds' source, the evil bat saw some branches shake. Roberto's group then saw some flashes of drab colour through the moving branches. However they were not bats.

"Roberto, guys, LOOOK!" said Turquesa and with that, she pointed a wing. Roberto and the others followed her point and breathed shocked gasps. Spinel, Poinsettia and the other scarlet and green-winged macaws with them also saw the squeaking shapes jump through the branches, and they were heading straight for Voldemort and his group, as well as Alexandre. Then Voldemort felt terror explode through him.

"It IS MONKEYS!" he barked, "Let's GET OUTA HERE NOW!"

His six companions seized Alexandre but before they could haul him away, two comets, one brown and black and one white and greyish, flashed by, so fast that Voldemort and his companions could not identify them. Then then a split-second later, a pack of black or dark brown and white balls of fur were upon them like lightning! Infuriated flying fox screeches and the mischievous laughter of monkeys then erupted into the air as the monkeys, which Carla and Charlotte had identified as emperor tamarins having seen a picture of them in Poinsettia and Bia's books began to wreak havoc on Voldemort and his group.

The ball of fur and flying fox wings then began to violently change shape as the flying foxes struggled against the monkeys. Some tamarins latched their hands onto the ears and fur of the bats and began to fiercely pull them, making the bats screech in pain. Voldemort then began to swipe his enormous black wings at the tamarins but they dodged and kept pulling at his hair. The other six also struggled, swiping either their wings or their sharp-sticks at their attackers but a barrage of hands and squeaky laughs continued coming in at them, grabbing their fur or ears and pulling. One tamarin managed to grab the red female's nose and squeeze it, making her yelp in pain and drop her sharp-stick which another tamarin grabbed and ran away with. Roberto, Poinsettia, Spinel and the others watched in immense shock while Alexandre covered his head with his wings but then he felt something, but not feathered wings or talons, but membranous wings grab him by the talons and tail and pull him out from under Voldemort and his gang's feet while the monkeys kept them occupied. It happened so fast that Roberto, Alexandre's sisters and the others failed to spot Alexandre's new kidnappers. However, they were too absorbed by the skirmish between the seven bats and the monkeys to even notice, anyway.

Voldemort continued swiping his wings at the tamarins, things like, "Get outa here, you tree primate pests, GET OUTA HERE!" and a variety of naughty words exploding from his mouth at the attacking tamarins. Then a "HEY, GIVE BACK MY SHARP-STICK!" erupting from his mouth when his eyes caught one of the tamarins, a dark brown one with a mischievous grin stretching across its face under its enormous white moustached nose, make off with a brown thing with a colourful cluster attached to its end. Leaving the other six to struggle with the other monkeys, Voldemort bolted after the monkey and began to chase it through the branches, screeching at the tamarins as it bounded away, his sharp-stick in tow. Voldemort spat venomous words and threats at the monkey as he continued chasing it through the branches, but the tamarin continued leaping away each time Voldemort got close. It was a struggle for the enormous bat, especially in the cluttered trees which monkeys such as tamarins were built for leaping through. Bats with enormous wings could not fly through that sort of environment for the branches could damage their membranous wings, and Voldemort did not want to risk facing that sort of injury. Reluctantly, he flapped around the outside of the branch clutter, his volcanic eyes fixed upon the tamarin as it bounded about in the branches. Then the monkey stopped and gazed at the flashy cluster of colour on the end of Voldemort's sharp-stick, its eyes widened in fascination. Voldemort saw what the monkey was going to do.

"Don't you DARE!" he bellowed. Too late. The monkey's mouth closed down onto Voldemort's precious collection of trophies and began to tug at it, for the tamarin thought the feathers were some type of fruit. An enraged screech exploded from Voldemort's mouth as the tamarin tore many of the feathers from the sharp-stick and he began to flap against the clutter of branches in his way but could not for he was too big. The monkey, realising that the materials it had bitten down on were not palatable after all, spat out the feathers repulsively, sending the feathers drifting gently down through the tree and towards the canopy. This really made the volcano of temper explode within Voldemort. With an enraged and bloodcurdling screech, the massive hulking bat began to hack and slash his way through the branches with his foot claws, not caring about the risk to his wing membranes. The tamarin, frightened by the enraged bat, tossed away the sharp-stick, sending it tumbling down the tree, and fled. Voldemort then swooped down to catch his precious weapon, arriving in time to pluck it from the air the moment it emerged from the bottom of the tangled matrix of branches. Then the bat began to desperately search for the trophies the monkey had torn off his sharp-stick, gathering only a few of them that still danced through the air in the canopy. Then a familiar voice exploded from nearby. Hearing this, Voldemort shot his gaze at six bats as they flew along. The six were covered with bruises and torn out hairs but then Voldemort noticed something else: four of the six bore several bleeding scratches and bite marks but those marks had not been made by teeth and the reddish female, the one who had called Voldemort, was struggling to fly.

"Voldemort, come on!" she shouted, "Let's retreat to our territory and try again later."

"Did you get that red-feathered worm?" asked Voldemort as he held his stick and some of the feathers he had managed to grab.

"No," said one of the males, "While we were fending off the tamarins, we were suddenly set upon by a bunch of blue and red birds and they viciously attacked us."

Voldemort released a snarl of frustration when suddenly, an enraged screech exploded from a nearby tree. The hideous flying fox had time to turn to the screech's owner to see a blue blur with a pair of talons, their claws outstretched and poised to inflict injury, extended in front of it. Then a moment later, those claws slashed right over Voldemort's face. The other six bats flinched and screeched in shock as the hulking beastly bat wailed in pain, dropping his sharp-stick and remaining feathers in agony as he covered his face, now oozing blood. Then the blue blur swerved round and rocketed towards Voldemort again while some red comets with blue or teal wings exploded from the tree above, aiming straight for the six bats.

"GET OUT, YOU INTRUDERS!" the blue comet bellowed and then without hesitation, it charged right at Voldemort's head and clamped its beak onto his hair, viciously pulling at it. An agonised cry exploded from the evil bat's mouth as a tearing noise sounded as the blue feathered comet tore hair from his head. Then after a sickening rip, the blue form rushed off, a beak-ful of brown hair. Above, the six companions faced another beating from the red forms with green or yellow and blue or teal wings and tails. Poinsettia, Spinel, Tito and Cherie had charged at the bats and were now attacking them again while Roberto savagely went for Voldemort.

"LET'S GET OUTA HERE!" bellowed the red female as an enraged Spinel's claws raked over her back. The other five bats began to retreat but Voldemort hovered there, his scratched face bleeding. However, an enraged screech exploding from Roberto's beak, along with more screeches and fiery eyes flooded with wrath from eight more Spix macaws who were Carla, Justin, Finnick, Felix, Turquesa, Kira, Músculo and Charlotte as they appeared and gathered around Roberto, their talons raised and claws flared, changed his mind. Roberto, Felix and Finnick's crests were flared out at their fullest, and the other macaws' plumage was also bristled, making them look bigger than they actually were, and their eyes were flooded with wrath, and in some, pure acidic hatred. However, Voldemort's eyes locked with Roberto's and he stiffened.

"I… remember you…" he hissed in a ghostly voice, ignoring the trickling sensation of his scratched face which continued to ooze blood, "When… you were… a chick…"

Suddenly, an ear-piercing screech exploded from Roberto's beak, so loud and piercing that it would shatter glass. It practically made the other macaws cover their ears. Roberto then lurched violently forward at Voldemort and continued screeching, making Voldemort bolt and fly up to his companions in shock. Then the seven bats and the macaws hovered there, their eyes staring daggers at each other, a dreadful silence hanging over them. Then Voldemort broke it.

"You know these lands belong…" he began but Roberto violently cut him off, his volcanic wrath exploding violently within him.

"GET OUT BEFORE I…" he bellowed before a torrent of highly acidic and extremely gruesome words exploded from his beak. Finnick and Felix, thunderstruck by their father's choice of words, covered their ears with their talons to block out the music while Cherie, Poinsettia and Tito lurched at the seven bats and bolted them into escaping. Frightened and shocked by the turn of events, Voldemort and his six companions turned tail and fled into the trees like a bunch of deer escaping a predator.

As soon as the hideous bats had disappeared, Roberto and the others' wrath faded and turned to concern and desperation as they returned to the spot where Alexandre and the other red macaws were. Moments later, Alexandre was being treated by the remaining red macaws who had come with him, Cherie, Tito, and his sisters Poinsettia and Spinel. Roberto and the others emerged from the trees and perched all around the group.

"We're gonna have to take him either to our tribe or yours," said one of the green-winged macaws as he examined the bleeding scratch on Alexandre's back, "to get this scratch treated."

Poinsettia and Spinel landed beside their brother and gazed at his back where one of the bats had struck. The gashes were just visible on the sea of orange-red feathers covering Alexandre's back and they could make out some shiny drips coming from them. Alexandre winced in pain as Roberto came in to examine his injury as well. He had forgotten about the blood still staining his talons after he had clawed Voldemort across his face. While he and the others gathered round, five furry forms lighted down on a nearby branch.

"We'll take him to our tribe," Roberto said, "While you go and alert Felipe and Pearl and also his parents Athos and Ruby. We'll use this as evidence to show Blu and Jewel…"

"But Roberto," said Alexandre through a gritted beak, "Should Uncle Felipe, Auntie Pearl, Mom and Dad see this first?"

Roberto gazed at the red-orange scarlet macaw, torn as to whether to take him to Felipe's tribe or his own. Then Cherie said, "I know, we'll bring Felipe, Pearl, Athos and Ruby over to your tribe. That way both your leader and ours will see this and hear what we have witnessed and heard."

"That's a good idea, Cherie," said Finnick.

"I think we'll do just that," said Carla. Her face then fell. "I'm not looking forward to seeing Mom and Dad's reaction to what has happened though and certainly not his parents' reaction..."

The chubby Spix macaw then shuddered at the possible reaction of Athos and Ruby if they hear what had happened to their older son.

"Then it's settled," said Tito, "We'll go to Felipe and Pearl and tell them what has happened and then bring them over to your tribe while you Spix macaws take Alexandre to your nurses."

Roberto smiled at the plan while Charlotte, Turquesa, Músculo, Felix, Finnick, Kira and Justin exchanged smiling glances with each other and Poinsettia and Spinel.

However, before the group Poinsettia's eyes happened to travel in a certain direction and when they landed on something, she screeched "HEY!"

This made all heads snapped in the direction of Poinsettia's gaze and when they saw what she saw, horror tore through them. Then Roberto and Cherie, without hesitation, let loose an enraged screech each and launched themselves off the perch at the forms spotted by Poinsettia, the wrath that fired up within them during the confrontation with Voldemort and his gang taking control once again. Kira and Carla followed. However, as the four macaws approached the forms, which were five bats, those five dived out of the way before Cherie and Roberto's talons could make contact and slam into the branch. Then a frightened protest exploded from the five bats which were an adult brown male, an adult red-brown female and three younger bats, an adolescent male and two young female pups, all three with white fur.

"Whoa, hold on! We're not gonna hurt you," shouted the brown male.

"We're here to bring you this urgent message!" shouted the female. She screeched as Carla's claws swiped past her. The two white bat pups also dodged Kira's attempts to grab them while the adolescent white male flapped away from an enraged Cherie. Roberto then began to chase after the two adults.

"WE DON'T CARE, YOU PESKY FURBALLS!" he bellowed, his crest violently spiked out and his blue eyes like the flames of burning sulfur, "NOW LEAVE OUR TERRITORY OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!"

The two adult bats, panicked and frightened looks on their faces with a hint of pleading and desperation thrown in there, flapped madly away from the wrathful Spix macaw as he continued chasing them. Then suddenly, three blue and cerulean comets darted in and slammed right into the two adult bats. The two bats screeched in shock as they were flung onto a branch where they were slammed down onto their backs with three macaws upon them. Justin, Charlotte and Turquesa had tackled the two adults and had pinned them with their talons to their necks against the tree branch. Then Músculo, Finnick and Felix shot in and tackled the young white bats and slammed them hard against the branch next to the adult bats. The five bats gazed pleadingly at the wrathful macaws as they had them pinned by their necks against the branches. Justin had the brown male pinned while Charlotte had the red-brown female pinned. Músculo had the adolescent white kale pinned underfoot while Finnick and Felix both had the two white female pups pinned under their talons. Roberto then strolled over to the five bats and glared at them with fiery anger-filled eyes.

"Now you five will do as we tell you," he said threateningly, "to leave our land and return to your colony and never return as soon as those five release…"

The five bats gazed back at Roberto timidly as the handsome Spix macaw then raised a talon, still stained with flying fox blood, and added, "Or else YOU five will be covered with talon scratches as well," barked Roberto fiercely. The five bats shuddered. Then Músculo, Justin, Charlotte, Finnick and Felix flashed an agreeing look at the five bats.

"And make sure you tell your leaders to stop sending in their bats into our land as well," added Charlotte, her grip tightening on the adult red-brown female's throat.

"Or they will be getting a STRONG warning from our leaders," put in Justin. Nearby, Turquesa, Carla, Tito, Poinsettia and Spinel and Cherie nodded in agreement. The other red macaws and Alexandre were absent, the former having carried the latter away towards the Spix tribe's ravine for treatment. The five bats nodded timidly. Then Roberto nodded to Músculo, Justin, Charlotte, Finnick and Felix to release them, which they did. As soon as the grips around their necks were lifted, the male and female adult bats dropped into flight with the three white, younger bats following. However, the five stopped into a hover and turned to face the birds once again.

"My name is Augustus," shouted the adult brown male, "And this is Melissa my mate," he nodded to the red-brown female, "And our son Sebastian and young daughters Stella and Luna." He nodded to the three young white bats.

"Sebastian and I were the ones who lured those tamarins to Voldemort and his gang who threatened to take your green-winged macaw friend," added Augustus, the male adult bat, "While Stella, Luna and Melissa snatched him away while Voldemort and his six companions were distracted with the monkeys."

Then Melissa, the red-brown female flapped forward and added, "And make sure you spread this warning to ALL avian residents living here, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, including those weird four-winged lizard-birds with the metallic feathers: Cicatriz and Iracebeth are planning on kidnapping at least two members from your tribes, clans or groups to bring them back to our colony's territory so that they could extract information about your flocks, your homes and why there hasn't been any logging activity in your land for so many years. So make sure that none of you go out into your territories alone and make sure you keep your chicks, especially any preteen or adolescent chicks, under strict watch!"

Sebastian, Stella and Luna, the young white bats, all squeaked in agreement.

"Our colony wants to drive you out and take your land," added Augustus, making Poinsettia and Spinel share a shocked look, "Because not only see you as vermin, but they also blame you for…"

"GET OUT!" bellowed Roberto and with that, he lurched forward with Felix, Finnick, Kira and Carla to emphasize their message. Augustus, Melissa, Sebastian, Stella and Luna then bolted and flapped away into the trees before Roberto threatened to act out his threat. As soon as the five bats had disappeared, Roberto shouted to the others, "Vamos!" and with that, all the Spix, scarlet and green-winged macaws had lofted into flight. As the group flew along, Alexandre's sisters flashed a glance behind them in the direction in which Augustus and his family had been moments before.

"Did you hear what those bats had said?" asked Poinsettia concerned. Roberto, however, replied, "Look, I don't know and I don't care. Let's just get back to our ravine and get your brother treated."

"But the female adult said something about Cicatriz planning on kidnapping some of us for information about our land and tribes or something like that," said Spinel. Kira then felt concern and worry overshadow her, as did Turquesa, Músculo, Charlotte, Justin and Carla.

"You know, Uncle Beto," said Carla, "I kind of agree with Poinsettia and Spinel."

"I think we should alert our tribe and clans and groups, including Andromeda and Eragon's clan, about what the flying foxes are planning to do," said Justin. Roberto, Felix and Finnick shot him a 'What!?' look.

"Are you saying we should trust those five bats!?" snapped Roberto, making Justin flinch.

"Do you know who that Augustus is related to!?" added Cherie. When Justin and Carla gazed back at the scarlet scoremarker for the red tribe's Pit of Games team, she answered the question for them. "He's the younger brother of that deranged Scarface and the younger son of their equally deranged parents Bruto and Sombra," she growled, "We can't trust him and his family!"

"But what if he is proven right!?" protested Poinsettia. Cherie and Tito's glares made her shut up.

"Let's just get back to our ravine before we start arguing," muttered Roberto and with that, the macaws all flew off into the trees. However, inside, a strange feeling began to bloom within Roberto, a feeling that was in line with that of Poinsettia, Spinel, Carla, Kira, Turquesa, Músculo, Charlotte and Justin.